How Many Hours Does It Take To Be A Master
On Thursday, November 20th, while watching The Rachel Maddow Show, Rachel interviewed the author of Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell. Now, of course, she put it in a political context, but actually the book itself is not.
Having the ability (real talent) for success is a component, but it is not the be all and end all:
Ability, according to Gladwell, is just one factor in success. He points to research that suggests that once you have enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. What’s more, the people at the very top don’t just work much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder. (review of book by Samantha Bartlett)
The key point of their discussion was, “How many hours does it take to truly master anything?”
Well for those of you thinking things happen fast, money comes rushing in, and instant riches without putting in the time are guaranteed online, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
The consensus appears to be an individual needs to exert approximately 10,000 hours or roughly 10 years to “master” anything.
Having been online for over 10 years (with over 25 years in marketing offline and on), and working on average 10 hours a day (and I’m being kind to myself), yes seven days a week, I’ve calculated that I’ve “put in my time.” Well over 36,500 hours.
Do I think I am a “master marketer?” The answer would appear to be yes. However, I’m also intelligent enough to realize that one never stops learning. Never stops investigating. Never stops testing. Never stops moving. Particularly on the internet.
Yet, surprisingly, I also find that people will opt to “take time off.” Whether it be the holiday season, the state of the economy, a visit from one’s auntie… the “excuses” not to work are endless. But this is such a wrong tactic to take!
Stand still for just a day or two and your competition will flash past you faster than the proverbial speeding bullet!
Here’s another portion of Samantha’s review:
Gladwell argues that the state of today’s economy is the perfect time to invest in talent development. “When it’s easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent. Now, you’re forced to.” I couldn’t agree more. Outliers is a great book and a fun read.
There really is no “nice way” to phrase what I’m about to say. If you are impatient, a whiner, a doubter, a person who really believes the garbage some out there will try to sell you (“no selling, no marketing, no doing a thing, and you’ll make money hand over fist!”), you most likely deserve your fate.
I’ve said it for years and I’ll repeat myself again, patience, persistence, determination, along with a business strategy and a business budget – and the wherewithal to work tirelessly to achieve your goals without following all the fly by night instructions or glitzy sales material out there – YOU have the makings of true success online. We salute you!
Now get to work 
